Animal Instinct
by The Spades Queen
Summary: In which Kagome discovers an unexpected side of the cold Lord Sesshomaru and sets in motion a series of great events.
1. Chapter 1: For Starters

**-IMPORTANT NOTICE- **

**I changed this chapter, for I was not completely happy with it, it is now a bit longer and more detailed, also I feel that it is more like how the rest of my story is going to be****. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer:** had I owned Inuyasha then I would not be writing this now would I, this would have been an actual episode and I would have been on Hawaii sipping Margarita's.

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_-Prologue-_

_Later, Kagome would swear before the court of Law that it had all been an accident_.

"Damn it!" Kagome muttered angrily as she sped through the forest. The demon had not been very powerful and she and her friends had made the grave mistake of underestimating it. She should have known: Caterpillar demons were unpredictable. Not to mention disgusting. Somehow the demon had woken up after it was killed, twice as strong. And in the commotion she and her friends had been separated. Which is why she was running through the forest at night, alone and with a creepy (in more ways than one) Caterpillar demon in hot pursuit. Muttering another string of curses she tried to simultaneously avoid tree roots and attacks form the demon.

Of course she could not be blamed for crashing into something in front of her. Or rather: someone. It was to be expected. With her face buried in some kind of soft fluffy material she heard a surprisingly girly scream from what she hoped was the Caterpillar.

Looking up she saw what she had expected but prayed not to be. Lord Sesshomaru of the West. That and the head of the demon who chased her. Eww, just ew.

"You will release this Sesshomaru at once, miko"

Noticing she was indeed still pressed up against the Dog Taiyokai she quickly released him.

"T-thank you, Lord Sesshomaru…" she muttered feeling light in the head due to fatigue. She felt her legs giving out from under her.

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Sesshomaru caught her, more on instinct then anything else. She was after all a female, the gender that required constant protection _(1)._ He sighed in annoyance. And sat down to wait until his brothers miko would come back to her senses. Or until that annoyance of an Inuyasha came along, whichever came first.

But of course the woman felt the need to snuggle up to him and lay her head on his shoulder. It was only surprise that withheld him from shoving her off non to gently. Even in sleep this strange human seemed not to feel threatened by his presence. _How in the world had his girl survived for this long if she didn't feel threatened by Taiyokai?_ How foolish. With the new threats that were created not long ago she should have known better. Admitted, his foolish brother probably hadn't even smelled the sent of danger in the air. Useless half-demon! He should not have allowed his Miko to wander of on her own in the first place. Wasn't he her alpha? He should be thinking about her safety, not rush into unknown danger. Yes truly a fool.

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Kagome woke up feeling warm and comfortable. So she snuggled into the warm individual she laid next to. Wait… _Individual? _Her head shot up so fast it was a miracle she didn't get a whiplash. There was the Demon Lord of the West. Looking at her with bored eyes. She rechecked her position: half on top of him, one hand in his hair another on his chest. All in all snuggled into his fur for warmth. _Oh, Dear, just what I need._

Sesshomaru let out a low growl, one she only noticed because her hand was still on his chest. He was angry with her, she assumed, and why wouldn't he be? she should get away form him _this _instant!

In her haste to let go her other hand got tangled up in his hair. And just when she thought it could not get any worse, it did: in the process of trying to release her hand, she scratched his ear. Kagome was about to profusely apologise (It was a miracle she wasn't dead yet), when she heard a noise that had mad het fall still and stare at the Demon Lord wide eyed. His chest vibrated again, but this time she had a feeling that it was in contentment. _Did he just purr? No way, I must be hearing things right? RIGHT? _Kagome was near hysterics. She was _so dead now... _

But it seemed that she hadn't dreamed that out of character purring. When she looked in his eyes she saw them turning red. Not 'I'm going to change into a terrifying huge demon dog' red but still quite red. He made that content noise again and she understood. In came to her like a rock hitting her head at 200 miles per hour. _He liked to get scratched behind the ears.. just like any ordinary pet dog,__he liked to be scratched behind the ears._

He was completely out of it, she saw that there was no trace of the normal Lord Sesshomaru left in his eyes, her only companion was his beast now. She knew not to make any sudden moves, for like any wild animal he would attack her. With out a doubt in her mind she knew that he would kill her if that happened. She didn't dare call forth her powers, for that would certainly unleash the dog demons natural fight or… well _fight _instinct. So she just sat there with him at her side, and scrached his ear from time to time.

_And that is how her friends found her. __Their jaws hitting the forest floor. And be honest, can you blame them…? _

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A/N: **Well… that was interesting. **

(1) No, this is not my opinion on the matter (Hello? I'm an authoress!) but I would imagine it would be Sesshomaru's. the only reason I'm explaining myself because I could feel the feminist in me complaining about that line and I didn't want to feel the wrath of all the other feminists out there.

**Tell me anything you want: How you liked the story, What I can do to improve, Grammar/spellings errors, Relationship troubles you're having, whatever else you want to share. I'm a review whore. **


	2. Chapter 2: Kagome and the Gossip Queen

**Disclaimer:** Do I look Japanese to you?

**Read, enjoy, review.**

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All that had happened the previous day was troubling to say the least, for our Sacred Jewel priestess that is.

The moment her friends had shown up Sesshomaru had disappeared, leaving her to explain the compromising position that she had been found in. she couldn't really, when she could not even explain it to herself. Inuyasha had of course taken it the wrong way and, like the brat he was, had refused to speak to her ever since.

Sango had been shooting her meaningful glances all morning. Meaningful as in "Tell me what happened. Every. Juicy. Detail". Trying to ignore them had proven to be impossible, so when Inuyasha and Miroku when out of what she assumed was hearing range she whispered,

"I'll tell you tonight"

Sango's eyes lit up and she nodded. Privately Kagome thought that had her friend been born in a different time period, she would have been a great rival of Gossip Girls'. Over the years of travelling together she had proven to be quite the gossip lover, as unlikely as that may seem. Sango always said you could never know enough about a person that could turn on you. Kagome thought it was just an excuse.

The rest of the day went by in a flash, Inuyasha had pushing them to the limit again, and as compensation for her painful muscles she had demanded of the Half Demon that they would camp in the vicinity of a hot spring. He had just "Keh"-ed but had complied to her demand, it seemed. He had gone back to ignoring her though.

Which is where she was now, in the hot spring with Sango looking at her eagerly. Kagome wondered what she should tell her demon slayer friend, she felt that what had happened was strangely private. She had seen a side of him that she was sure not many others had.

When she kept silent Sango got impatient,

"Well..?"

Kagome's head shot up, seeing Sango look at her intently.

"I-I don't really know how it happened but…"

And she told her story, from crashing into the Demon Lord to fainting to waking up snuggled onto him to touching his ear by accident.

"And that is how you found me" she concluded.

During her telling of the story Sango had gotten a thoughtful look on her face.

When she kept silent Kagome grew worried.

"What is it?" she asked in a small voice, looking at her sister figure uncertainly.

"How much do you know about Dog Demon society, Kagome?"

Kagome searched her memory for information, coming out with little more then: dog siblings seem to have no love lost between them..? Maybe?

"Not all that much...? Why?"

"Well… You see, you have to understand that although some look human, they're not."

"Yes, I know…" She remembered the first time she saw Sesshomaru's true form, it was everything but human.

"We don't even know why the strong ones take human form. But even if they look the part, they are nothing like us. Their priorities lie different, just like their morals"

Kagome tried to understand where her friend was going with this but she couldn't. She just looked at Sango.

"Okay…?"

"They will kill to prove their points, where we try to convince with words. They are amazingly protective of what is theirs. They are closer to nature then us, they use instincts and gut feelings where we try to see logic. They are also one with their inner beast.

And that is where demons differ from humans the most. Humans don't have, or maybe suppress their inner animal, demons coexist with them. Demons are of different kinds, all connected to an animal, and all have characteristics of that particular animal "

"So, demons act like their inner animal?"

"To a certain degree, yes. Dog Demons for instance are very loyal, just like normal dogs. They are even more protective over their families then most other demons. Also they are very territorial. And maybe, inner dog demons just really like to get their ears scratched"

Kagome smiled, feeling more then a little awkward.

"Inuyasha does not display all those qualities" She remembered a certain clay priestess, oh yes she remembered very well.

"But he is only a Half demon, he also has human qualities from his mother."

"True, but I don't see how all this is relevant to what happened the other day"

"Lord Sesshomaru protected you, didn't he?"

"Yes..? He did kill that demon and stayed with me when I lost consciousness. "

"That is because he, unconsciously maybe, considers you pack"

Kagome fell silent for a minute, then.

"WHAT?"

Sango shushed her, after all they did not want to draw attention to their location.

"…Why would he do that?" Kagome asked.

"Well, he sees you as his brothers priestess, probably maybe even as Inuyasha's mate. And that makes you family of his, whether he acknowledges Inuyasha or not"

"So basically, he, or his beast think I'm dating Inuyasha" Kagome fell the sudden urge to 'sit' a certain Halfling. Irritation was rolling from her in waves.

"No way in hell" she growled.

Sango just laughed nervously.

"I know that, but he doesn't Kagome…"

Kagome sighed to release some stress.

"Right" And as an afterthought,

"That doesn't explain the purring though, dog _don't _do that where I'm from"

"That my friend, I would ask to the Lord's beast, maybe he has feline blood somewhere far back in his family tree"

And they laughed.

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**A/N: **And that's it for today folks, mind your step on your way out. Please review and tell me what you liked, disliked, absolutely hated, your dreams from the future and whatever else you want to tell me. Oh, and remember, If you review I write a lot quicker!

**- The Spades Queen **


	3. Chapter 3: Shopping is my Religion

'**Oh my, another chapter *fans self* it's so great it could make it today *blinks away melodramatic teardrop.*'**

**Disclaimer: **It's not mine, het is niet van mij, C'est n'a pas la mienne, Es ist nicht von mich.(Sorry to all you German people if I said that wrong, German was never my strong point) Do I need to continue?

After travelling through the wilderness for a few months there was nothing Kagome welcomed more than a brief stay in a reasonably large town. It had taken her some time but begrudgingly Inuyasha had admitted that they had close to no leads on where to find jewel shards, or Naraku for that matter. So after weeks of threatening, bribing and downright begging she finally convinced their self-proclaimed leader to stop at this town. Sango and Kagome had taken the opportunity to shop with both hands. They were left alone for once: Miroku had spotted a wealthy man earlier that no doubt would have some kind of demon pestering him (whether he knew it or not). Inuyasha watched them hidden from view together with Shippo, for they would attract unwanted attention if they were seen.

_-Kagome.-_

'Kagome, I think it's high time for you to buy some _real _clothes'My darling best friend/older sister in everything but blood spoke resolutely. I looked down at my attire: the green miniskirt may have seen better days, but I think it could last a little longer… Sango however had different ideas.

'I mean, You do know that every man around thinks you're a prostitute right?' _Why yes, it had come to my attention, thank you Sango. _I blushed in embarrassment.

'Right…'

'So it's high time for you to find some nice, _covering_ travelling kimono.'

And she then proceeded to drag me to the first tailor in town.

Sango knew what she was doing, I'll give her that. The moment Sango walked in she had the seamstress running around for her. I resigned myself to being tailored and used as Barbie _(Limited Feudal Era edition: buy one today and get a free half-demon_!) for as long as Sango saw fit. The seamstress didn't seem fazed by my overly enthusiastic friend and quickly began giving advise about colours that would 'make the best of my savage appearance and pitifully tanned skin'. _For Gods sake, I'm not a porcelain doll! leave that to the clay bitch- Excuse me, I mean Kikyo._

The woman pushed me into the back room and proceeded to take my measurements. The backroom floor was littered with fabrics with rather nice colours and patterns.

'raise your arm', she ordered and I did, resisting a '_ma'am, yes ma'am!_' All the while Sango was looking at me thoughtfully.

'I think green of some rich dark colour would be the best' she decided.

'Are you sure miss, I think light blue would bring out her eyes.'

'True, but we travel a lot: we need something that doesn't stain.'

'I see, I might have something for you then' the woman spoke as she finished her measuring. She walked rapidly to the front of the store. Sango was looking through all the stuff covering the floor and I sat down to rest my tired legs, that woman had taken quite some time. We heard the chimes signalling someone entered the shop. It seemed to be two animatedly talking women.

'Aha!, there it is!' we heard the shopkeeper say triumphantly.

She came back to the backroom and proceeded to drape a beautiful burgundy fabric around my shoulders. Even I had to admit it was very pretty.

'We'll take it' Sango said, never asking my opinion, but that didn't matter to me, much.

'How fast can you have it ready?' She asked.

'well, since all the fore-work had already been done I can have it ready in half an hour or so' I hadn't noticed that fact up until now, but indeed it was almost a kimono already, a rather large one. 'I can have it ready if you wait for a bit' she looked down her nose at me. 'I suggest you take of those undergarments you wear as if they are in anyway decent, miss. ' Without waiting for an answer she handed me a yukata and walked away swiftly. I blushed and did as she asked, suddenly embarrassed that people had seen me wearing something considered indecent. Sango shot me a pitying look.

And so we sat there waiting for a few minutes when we heard the other customers of the shop say something rather interesting.

'By the way, did you hear about the demon village in the east?'

'Yes, I did, I still say it's their own fault, to coexist like that with those animals is unnatural. You know what happened to Akira-sama, they should've known better'

'But still, rather odd don't you think, that only half bloods were killed I mean.'

'No I disagree Ai-chan. They are shameful beings, the result of something so disgusting I don't even want to say it out loud.' The girl let out an extravagated shiver and whispered: 'To imagine _laying _with _a demon_'. The other girl giggled.

_Ignorant bitch. _I narrowed my eyes Looking at Sango she was having a similar reaction. Her hand was twitching as if to pull her beloved Hiraikotsu. But there were more pressing issues at hand.

'That sounds rather suspicious don't you think?' Sango muttered thoughtfully.

I just nodded for at that moment the seamstress decided to come back in and thrust a burgundy kimono in my hands. She then ordered me to try it on, which I did.

Now, I hate to admit it, but it did feel lovely on my skin. Also it was designed to be easier to move in than regular kimono's were. The woman fastened a white obi with red accents around my waist. It didn't look to bad actually, although it really was a style that needed getting used to.

Sango beamed at me.

'It looks great on you!' she all but squealed.

The seamstress nodded her head in agreement, although I could feel she was still wary of me.

I pulled out some of our money -demon-slaying is a rather lucrative business really- to pay the woman. She seemed even more suspicious at the amount of money that I was carrying. _Dear Kami, I'm _not_ a hooker! _

Before I could tell the woman just that however Sango had ushered me outside. We went in search of Miroku, I wondered if he had already convinced that poor man of his haunting…

…Turned out he had. The accommodation was lovely and after a well deserved bath and a meal hosted by the wealthy man, whose name was Kosuke, we sat down and the Sango and I shared what we had heard at the tailor shop.

Needless to say Inuyasha didn't take it lightly and said they would go and investigate in the morning, earning a groan from me and Shippo, although we all understood his need of course. Miroku had pondered out loud if could have anything to do with Naraku, with his never ending hate for half demons. After discussing our plan of action and deciding that we would head to the village in the morning, we called it a night. Sango and I went to the next room and fell asleep as soon as we hit the futon.

Inuyasha was pushing us harder than usual, we understood his need but at the speed we were going I feared for my life, as I was on his back. Sango and Miroku were calling at him to slow down, Kirara could almost not keep up. Inuyasha being who he is ignored them, making my stomach clench in fear. There were way to many branches here that could poke my eyes out in a second. I like my eyes thank you very much!

To relax I called on my spiritual powers to meditate: having learned a while ago that it didn't hurt Inuyasha. The steady flow of my power was calming as always. When I'm in this state I feel connected with everything: the forest, the very air. Everything was in harmony in this forest, almost perfect. I let the balance of the forest wash over me. Kaede once told me that as miko we have a greater understanding of and connection to nature than other human beings, this made us more alike demons than humans in some ways. That is also the reason we are good at fighting them. I touched the magical pulse of the trees for a minute, I could smell the harmony of nature, but something still felt off. The smell that washed over me was clinical, like the cleanness of a hospital. Somewhere in my head an alarm went off -_Danger, danger. Code: red!-_. Something was wrong and as l concentrated I came to a conclusion: it was _too _perfect. Something inside me whispered that this equilibrium was artificial. Someone was hiding something. That thought made me stiffen, but Inuyasha didn't seem to catch my anxiety. None of them did. So I went back into my calm state of mind and started peeling the layers of harmony and peace one by one. It took me the better of an hour and I didn't feel or hear anything but my own steady breathing and that familiar wave of my spiritual power.

There! I felt a powerful presence. It washed over me and stunned me for a moment, he was a demon alright, probably a high lord, he felt almost like… And just as I wanted to tell my companions that there was an incredibly strong youki near, it was gone. And I almost doubted myself, had I really just felt that?

But I was shaken out of my pondering fast and hard when we arrived at the village, or what was left of it.

'**And here we see another endangered species called Authoress, they live in darkly lit bedrooms with laptops. Her main nutrition is Reviews. If she doesn't get they she tends to change into a slob, now on to the next cage….' **

**Thanks to all the people who reviewed last chapter and I apologise for being such a lazy-ass. **


	4. Chapter 4: Venomous Encounters

**Here I am! Back from the land of the death to deliver _you _the next chapter, be very grateful. Those demons were quite unhelpful getting me from the seventh Hell back to my computer. It wasn't pretty, trust me.**

**Disclaimer: **How could I own anything? I'm dead remember.

I tried to jump from Inuyasha's back before he exploded in rage. I was just in time. Inuyasha was trying to sniff out the trail of the responsible demon. With all that blood I would be surprised if he could smell anything. We were in what until recently seemed to have been a quaint little village where humans and demons lived in symbiosis: not anymore it wasn't. I almost had to avert my eyes, there was just one description for what happened to them: slaughtered in cold blood. I heard Sango trying to keep down a sob, and failing, she was resting her head on Miroku's shoulder. My eyes fell on something that made my blood run cold. Sango touched my shoulder and asked me if I was alright but I had frozen in place and could not turn away from the horrid display before me. There, amidst a sea of corpses, were a mother and a child. She was my age, human and - covered by her body- was a half demon baby. A tiger demon by the looks of it. In her last moment the woman had jumped in front of her child and taken the lethal blow. But whatever monster had created this disaster hadn't stopped there, even after the mother had made the ultimate sacrifice. The demon -for it could not have been anything else- had taken conscious effort to murder the half-demon baby that didn't look more than five months old. His throat was slit. His eyes betrayed an unbelievable terror, caught for eternity, the child had known his mother had died immediately. The whole thing was so full of sorrow that I staggered on my feet. I fell to my knees. One dry sob escaped from my lips before I could stop it. The negative energy of the scene, the raw evil _youki _conflicted with my powers aggressively. My head began to pound and my vision blurred. Shippo, noticing my pain was with me immediately. He laid is hand on my knee.

'What's wrong, Kagome?' his voice trembled.

I could not answer, no matter how much I wanted to comfort him, tell him I was okay. Miroku and Sango were also at my side now. Miroku placed one of his charm papers on my forehead.

'The _youki _is attacking her spiritual power, because she has a purer soul the darkness affects her the most', Miroku explained.

Sango held my hand. The power of Miroku's spell helped immediately, my vision cleared a little and the pounding became slightly duller. I smiled at my comrades weakly.

'Don't concern yourself with me, search for survivors' I told them. Sango looked uncertain but Miroku nodded and took her by the hand. Shippo stayed with me, not saying anything. He saw through my façade, as always.

I felt tainted by the dark that overflowed the place, and for once I longed to see my ancestor, Kikyo. I wanted to see how she would deal with this all consuming evil. But since I have no luck what so ever with that woman, she didn't show. Miroku would have helped me if I asked him to, his paper charm having lessened the feeling considerably, but sadly a monks power was different from mine on many levels, it would not make it go away.

I know that by now the _youki's _effect had become visible on my body. Shippo looked as though he wanted to call for help. I silenced him with a look. I would have to face this on my own, I knew. So I called my power for the second time today. It came to me faster than before, wanting to begin neutralising the evil aura. A second look told Shippo to take a step back. I did not want to cause him harm. My own aura was sliding over my skin, going inside my body. I felt my head fall back facing the sky. My power captured the leftover _youki _in my system. Cleaned it and made it her own. I might have levitated for a moment, my power tickled me, it filled me with some sort of delirious glee. Unnatural it felt, like I had taken drugs. I wanted to spin around in circles and giggle, but I knew that losing control of my spirit like this would bring nothing but disaster, having seen it happen one to many times to other priestesses. I called my control back harshly and abruptly. It snapped into place. My conscious was back and I saw the awed yet guarded look on my Shippo's face. My awareness didn't stay long however when my still sensitive senses picked something up that should have been clear from the start. Someone else was here. He meant to do us harm.

Shippo saw my change of posture, he immediately called Inuyasha and the rest. Inuyasha finally snapped out of is frantic search to notice me. Sango was next to me in a second. Miroku not far behind. I told them I what I felt.

'Where is he?' Was Miroku's calm question.

'East, too close'

'How many' Inuyasha asked, cracking his knuckles.

'Just one'

'Let's go!' Was Inuyasha's order, it was useless however. Why? Because it had come to us.

Kirara landed next to me so I could grab my bow and arrows. Placing Shippo on her back to keep him safe I looked around for the threat. Inuyasha got Tetsaiga from its _saya_. Sango got Hiraikotsu from her back. Miroku had his hand on his wind tunnel, ready to open it when the need arose. I slipped into my fighting stance. Keeping my eyes on the enemy.

Before us was a demoness. One of the human looking ones. Just a child. She smiled innocently. She wore a short red kimono, covered in roses. She was barefoot, and had a red rose in her hair. In her left hand she held an axe, dripping with fresh blood. She giggled insanely.

'My oh my, what do we have here? three filthy humans and a disgusting half-breed all for me!' she skipped my way, still laughing.

'And a priestess no less! How truly blessed I am' She came to a halt only half a metre before me.

'Your kind's screams are always _divine_' she said in a singsong voice and lashed out to me with her axe, giggling.

I jumped out of the way just in time, I saw a small piece of my hair falling where I had stood a second ago. She didn't give me time to gather myself and attracted again. I could only keep jumping out of her way. Inuyasha was gathering his powers for a wind scar, I could feel his signature raw_ youki_. Sango was throwing Hiraikotsu at her with calculated accuracy. The demon child evaded her with ease. I had to find a higher ground to fire my arrow, not for the first time I hated myself for not having mastered any close-range weapons. I looked around for a suitable spot. All the while jumping back from her weapon. It really was quite hopeless, nothing in sight, I looked around again. _There!_ Knowing I only had one chance I leaped to a shack that was still standing, jumping up, albeit a little clumsy (blame my new _kimono_). The axe only missed me by an inch, the power of the slash pushed me back. Using my momentum I was able to shoot, and hit her. Not anywhere vital though, just enough to slow her down and let Hiraikotsu hit her. She was hit with a sickening crunch. She must have been in pain and yet the demon girl let out another giggle.

'My, my filthy, slow _and _rude. You should introduce yourself to a stranger, not attack her, you silly humans!' She skipped and twirled around. She chuckled.

'Shut up!' Inuyasha growled, his wind scar was ready now, and of course he used it the second someone annoyed him. This being the moment the demon opened her mouth. The demon however skipped out of the way. She shook her head and sighed.

'Then _I'll _go first' she sang and did a little curtsey 'my name is Yukiko of the east, and _you_ dirty half-breed?'

_The east? A high demon?_

'None of your business!' Inuyasha growled at her.

Yukiko smiled, showing of pointed teeth.

'_My boss_ told me to welcome you, _Inuyasha_' _Not a high demon then. _

She giggled again, I have to say that high pinched voice got annoying after a while.

Signalling to my friends I started circling Yukiko. They knew to start a group attack. We attacked as one, driving the eastern demon to a corner. I felt my power running in my veins and outside my body, and felt the fighting spirit of my friends. I shot another arrow at her, at the same time that Inuyasha threw another wind scar. She could only just jump out of the way. She huffed and crossed her arms, looking somewhat displeased with us.

'Now don't get mean, you filthy dirt' she said in a sugary sweet voice. 'I was hoping to get home for dinner.' She sighed again 'I guess I have no choice, but to dine _here_'. Another giggle, it slowly turned into a growl.

I was on my guard immediately. There was a shift in her aura. _She _was shifting. She turned into her true form. A red snake demon. Her demon power had changed, doubled in its strength. The rest noticed it too. We shared a look, mentally debating if we had to draw back. Inuyasha predictably disagreed and charged her head on. We backed him up, not sure if this was the most sensible course of action.

Inuyasha let out a cry in pain when she struck him with her pointed tail. She was clearly venomous. Inuyasha's breathing was getting faster and shallower. He yelled a curse at her. Miroku, Sango and I shared a look, if this wouldn't stop soon he would change into his demon form. We all knew nothing good ever came from his demon form. His had no restraint when he was like that, he became reckless. We knew we had to retreat for the moment, and study the situation rationally to defend ourselves against it. The only problem was convincing Inuyasha. Miroku and Sango encouraged me with their eyes, it would have to be me.

'Inuyasha!' I called to him. He of course ignored me. I had to get to him somehow, so I ran up to him, evading Yukiko when she tried to strike me down with her tail, but just barely. 'Inuyasha!' I tried again. Everything went in slow-motion then. He turned his head to me. The next moment his eyes widened and he screamed something at me. I could not understand what he said for at that moment I felt an explosion of pain in my back. I let out a high pinched wail. Everything became white before my eyes and then faded to black.

I must have only been unconscious for a second because as I came to the scene hadn't changed much. Sango was at my side, with Kirara and Shippo. They had removed me from the middle for the battlefield. Inuyasha was still attacking the red snake. Even in my weakened state I could feel that his aura had shifted to his full-demon one. I slowly assessed the damage done to my body. A few broken ribs, a fractured arm and obviously poisoned with _demon _snake venom. I recognised the signs of snake poisoning: sweating, a headache, fever etcetera, only worse. I needed a healer, preferably a _miko_. _Actually_, I needed _Kikyo, _this is one of the few things she's good for_. _And unsurprisingly, she was nowhere to be seen. I have no luck what so ever with that woman, as I stated before. In the background Inuyasha growled something about revenge for what she did to me. Not that I needed that.

I told Sango that to go help Inuyasha. After all, I could not be helped. She asked me if I knew for sure, I nodded. I was certain I was in mortal danger, but I felt strangely numb about it. The panic would come later I knew. For now all I could do was wait and move as little as possible to slow the spread of the poison. Shippo laid his head on my lap. He could read me like no one else could, he knew that there was something really wrong. His instincts immediately informed him his mother was in danger. Yet he kept silent out of respect for me.

Sango and Miroku had joined Inuyasha in his fight against the Red Snake. They had managed to drive her back slightly. The demon however still had the upper hand. I wanted to tell them to get out of there, but my voice came out as a whisper.

'Leave now'.

And just as I wanted to stand up to somehow make it clear to them we could not win this, I felt it again.

There it was, overwhelming as I remembered it. _That presence. _That enormous _youki. _I had felt it earlier today, although it felt more like a lifetime ago. The hidden high demon lord. His aura filled the ruins of the village. He, for the signature had to be masculine, felt like a warm bath. It relaxed my muscled and calmed my soul. I smiled, earning the amazed look of Shippo.

I seemed to be the only one to have this reaction to the presence. Inuyasha had stiffed, Sango and Miroku were on their guards. The most starling reaction however came from our enemy. The moment she had sensed _him _she went into the natural flight instinct that all snakes had. The same instinct that made them aware of impending earthquakes I presume. Yukiko ran for it, into the forest in that bordered the village. I wanted to tell them to leave it at that, but Inuyasha had already bolted after Yukiko. The rest followed after him.

Kirara looked at me with those scary wise eyes of hers, then she lowered herself to the ground, making it clear to me I had to climb up. I did. I casted one last look to the remainders of the demon/human village, and then concentrated on finding my friends. Kirara was very careful with her flying, but it was still hell for me. My back ached with every little movement. Kirara looked apologetic at me a few times. I assured her it was nothing. After a few minutes we came to a clearing. We heard Inuyasha complaining that they had been too late.

When we got to the clearing chaos met our eyes. The demon had been slaughtered. Everywhere was blood. I looked around to see who had done it, where the demon lord could have gone to, but the clearing was deserted. Inuyasha was sniffing the air, circling around the corps. Miroku was muttering a prayer, Sango looked around in unease. Where could the being that did this have gone, and was he a threat to them? I tried to call my spiritual powers, then I felt _that_ familiar presence again, I spun around as fast as I could, given my state. I swear I saw a glimpse of yellow eyes and then the presence was gone leaving only a gush of wind. I looked at my friends, but they hadn't noticed, at all.

I closed my eyes and centred myself, not prepared for my reiki. It broke from it's bonds and washed over me, I knew it was a defensive action. All my power wrapped itself around me and tried to purify the poison. It wasn't enough.

_/Not yet./_

_/Not yet your time/_

I swore to God that I heard a voice. Before I knew it my power was enhanced. It changed forms and became a means of travel. Don't ask me how I know, I only know that I do. I opened my eyes and saw the scenery around me change.

_Where the hell am I now?_

**A/N: **_I apologise for being the lazy ass I am. Do remember however: reviews are my favourite late night snack._


	5. Chapter 5:Between the Devil and the Deep

_**I apologise if I confused you in the last chapter, I hope I have explained all now.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: **_I know I'm rather awesome, but I do not own Inuyasha.

_When we got to the clearing chaos met our eyes. The demon had been slaughtered. Everywhere was blood. I looked around to see who had done it, where the demon lord could have gone to, but the clearing was deserted. Inuyasha was sniffing the air, circling around the corps. Miroku was muttering a prayer, Sango looked around in unease. Where could the being that did this have gone, and was he a threat to them? I tried to call my spiritual powers, then I felt that familiar presence again, I spun around as fast as I could, given my state. I swear I saw a glimpse of yellow eyes and then the presence was gone leaving only a gush of wind. I looked at my friends, but they hadn't noticed, at all. _

_And just when we thought it was safe again, I felt a rise of my own power sweeping me up in the air. It tried to take me somewhere, I knew. And just like that the scenery changed, I was on my own, in an unfamiliar place. The pain became too much at that moment and everything went black. _

For those of you who aren't familiar with the strange workings of spiritual power, what had just happened to me would be quite perplexing. For those of you 'blessed' with priestess powers like me, feel free to skip this explanation. You see, the basic trait of a human is self-preservation. We would not have become the highly developed race we are if not for this trait. In our core we are selfish and although we see it as a bad characteristic, it's that very selfishness that made us who we are. Our basic instinct has always been to survive (and, I admit, procreate). Mystical power is born from this instinct. The moment that yokai became a threat to our survival we started to give birth to children with the power to fight these demons. It's our inbuilt defence, like you see in all of nature. Sure the gods might have had something to do with it, if you want to believe in that kind of thing, but for the most part it comes from the humans themselves. My point with this lesson in the human psyche is the following: when my powers sensed that if I stayed any longer in that place of death and suffering I might have suffered lasting damage, they removed me from that threat. Not that I wasn't already at deaths door, mind. Yukiko's poison made quick work of shutting down my inner organs. I knew I did not have much longer. My power knew it too, so in a final attempt at saving me it transported me to a sacred ground, where my powers could work most efficiently.

This is exactly the reason why I am stretched out in the water of a pond before a small shrine dedicated to a certain God. The water softly touched me, trying to ease my pain. The whispered voices of the shrine spirits chanted healing spells and sang old mourning songs. Even the pond understood that I could not be saved at this time. The blood loss made my head fuzzy. I could not stay conscious much longer. A magical healing sleep was probably a good idea. At least that is what I told myself.

* * *

-? Point of view-

Yukiko of the Rose is dead. I'm afraid it could not be helped. I must be on my guard for the ones who will want to take revenge for their pack mate's death. Her alpha will be angry, enough to make mistakes and that I will use to my advantage. There will be no mistakes this time. I will use every weapon at my disposal to fight this battle. I will need to calculate everything precisely. Yukiko's alpha will make himself known to me soon enough. I must evaluate every possible danger and calculate my next attack carefully. 'Never let your guard down' _he _would say. And the gods know he trained me well. Cruelly and ruthlessly in his methods sure, but well. It's time to face him anyway, he will want a report. Time to go home. I will leave this village, for the smell of death in the air is sickening.

This part of the forest always buzzes with life. The animals live here in a way that I envy, in tune with nature and blissfully apathetic of all the horrors that the demon wars bring. These creatures are very blessed with their innocence. I pick up my pace, _he _does not appreciate tardiness. The wind caresses my skin as I ran. May of my kind find it disgraceful to run like humans and prey when you have the ability to fly. I however love the thrill it brings me to feel the earth beneath my feet. At a steady pace my feet touch to forest floor only lightly.

My instincts tell me all I need to know about my environment. As I travelled out of my place of peace I smell a strange sent in the air. Slightly familiar, very worrying. My skin crawls with the sense of hurt that I'm getting. The forest is disturbed too. Aokigahara is a demon forest, so it feels and right now it tells me it's uneasy, threatened. Something is disturbing the balance of things. My own instincts tell me that I am in danger. The hairs at the back of my neck are standing up. This sensation was from a known source, but that didn't make it less concerning. If anything it made it worse. One of _that_ kind should not dwell in this forest, for its own sake. This one however was on the brink of death. Waves of spirit power were all over the place, searching for something. Aokigahara was deserted from here on. All weak demons had fled the scene. Higher demons were observing what would happen next, safely hidden. I stood still for a moment to adjust to the purity of the environment. This one was the real deal, this one had true power. Making contact was maybe the best way to solve this problem. My lands should not be disturbed like this.

The Spirit that the being had let lose was reaching desperately for holy power. Or any power at all. Naturally it came to me, the only power source left in these parts of the forest. The spirit danced around me for a bit, unsure, before touching me and trying to find a way to tap into my power. It won't find a way, not without my consent. The spirit seemed to understand this, and drew back. Instead it softly caressed my aura outlines, not pushing anymore, just pleading timidly. The sent of the spirit waves told me its caster was a female. A female human, dying. She was asking, begging me for help. When I made known I was going to help her, the spirit showed me a scene. A secluded spot in the forest, one that I recognised. There was a small temple to the _Shinigami._ Before the temple was a magical source, there were veins of pure _Ki_ meandering in the atmosphere. There in the water of a sacrificial pond floated a body. The water was colored red with her blood, yet the female seemed oddly at peace. Her eyes were closed and she would have made the perfect corps if not for her mouth that chanted prayers without pause. She wasn't aware of course, but prayer was a good way to centre ones spirit. The woman was strangely beautiful but at the foremost extremely pitiful.

I am aware that _he _will not approve, she was after al a natural enemy. I had no choice however; I had given my word to her that I would save her, or at least do what I could. This was a matter of honour now.

Knowing there was no time to lose I set off to the clearing that held the woman of holy power. I made the shift and felt my demon take control. It flexed my muscles and fell into the rhythm of run that equalled my heartbeat. In this form I could cross great distances at enormous speed. My senses were sharper, I was more in contact with nature. I like this form immensely but it has one flaw. In my true form –if you could call it that- precise attacks were out of the question. Every offence was head on. This only works in battle if your opponent has great amounts of strength, but no real intelligence or strategic insight. No, human forms were much preferable in battle. They gave you agility, as well as an element of surprise. Youki was also much easer to concentrate on one precise attack.

The forest became less thick. The spirit power became almost unbearable in its density. She was close. The magic pushed me forward, urging me to go faster, and save its mistress.

Only a few minutes later the pressure of holy power became almost too much to bear, I had arrived.

* * *

I had felt his _Ki_ when he was miles away. I recognised the power signature immediately, it was the _presence. _In my state of healing I was aware, yet not. I sense everything I would if awake, but it feels like I see everything as if watching through mat glass.

He crouched beside the pond, I knew his kind would not be able to touch me as I was right now, not while I was bathing in holy water. My power was dully pleased with that, I on the other hand understood that I would soon kick the bucket if he did not get to me soon.

He raised his hand above the water. My magic was immediately drawn to this possible danger. His own Ki calmly gathered mine. He was controlled and powerful. The message in his aura was one of reassurance. He would save me. I felt my magic turning back into myself. That experience isn't exactly nice, a lesser being that me could be driven mad by receiving so much magic in so little time. My body, luckily, was adjusted to my considerable power.

My body, now completely calm again, started to sink, only to be pulled out by a strong hand. I coughed and my body trembled. I was unpleasantly reminded of my injuries. My saviour gently lowered me to the ground. In all this while I had not opened my eyes; I was unaware of that until he placed his hand over my eyes, reminding me of their use. I felt a warmth wash over me; a healing-power that was unknown to me began to freeze the poison still spreading in my veins. My own power awoke again and began to assist the healing that my saviour was spreading over me. The warmth of the magic lulled me into a light slumber. I remember little more than the moment he took his hand of my eyes and lifted me up.

I awoke a while later, feeling thousand times better than the last time that I was awake. I will not lie to you however and tell you I was cured. I was better, sure. But the poison had not yet left my system. The mystery demon, for there was no doubt in my mind that that was what he was, had greatly heightened my chance of survival though.

I looked around, his presence was here, and I could sense him close. I was laying next to a fire in yet another clearing in the woods, clearly the makeshift camp of someone. I closed my eyes again for a moment to spread my web of_ Ki_ to pinpoint _that presence's_ exact location. I felt oddly refreshed about using my powers again in such a carefree manner.

It turned out I had no need for those powers though, because some movement in the bushes nearby told me that he had walked into the clearing. I reluctantly opened my eyes. I was met with a confusing sight.

'…Lord Sesshomaru?'

The man, or should I say boy, smiled and shook his head in good humour.

'Sorry to disappoint, little miko' he spoke, he had a nice melodious voice. His golden eyes twinkled. _that is certainly not Sesshomaru. _

'Who are you then?' I asked. He laughed, another pleasant sound. He was so familiar, yet so strange.

With a playful yet graceful bow he said,

'Saiki of the West, at you service, Lady Miko'

_Ah, Of course__, that explains it. _

* * *

**A/N: Hahahaha, didn't see that one coming now did you. Now my wonderful readers, do leave a review and tell me how your life has been these last three months. I always love to hear from you guys. And if you're not comfortable with sharing your ****deepest darkest secrets you could always tell me how you liked the story! **

**Oh, btw if you want to give me constructive criticism feel free to do so. I have noticed that when people do that that they almost always do it as an anonymous reviewer. Don't be afraid of me, I would never get angry at you for trying to help me. I will most likely thank you. After all, I don't even get angry at this one lovely reviewer I have that always tells me to 'put up the next chapter and hurry'. I think ****it's rather cute.**


	6. Chapter 6: Those who Deserve them

**A/N: **

To my beautiful darling readers,

I hope you'll like this chapter! Tell me what you think.

Love,

TSQ.

**Disclaimer: **

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue._

_I do not own Inuyasha,_

_But neither do you!_

'Saiki of the West, at you service, Lady Miko'

_Ah, Of course, that explains it. _

Saiki smiled at me, a challenge in his eyes. I chose not to comment. Any ally of the West should be handled with caution.

I noticed for the first time how cold I was, and shivered, cursing my human body for its weakness. Saiki noticed too and draped a coat around me. His hands stayed on my shoulders a lot longer than necessary. He was curious about me I could tell. A million questions burned in his eyes, who was I, and who did I serve? I really didn't want to answer any of those questions. I took in my surroundings. I didn't recognize this forest. Where was Inuyasha? I needed to know if he and the others were alright! I studied my rescuer from under my eyelashes, was I a match for him, could I get away before he would catch me again, was my body up to that? I had not witnessed his power in battle yet, but only a fool would disregard his warriors' aura.

Saiki's eyes twinkled merrily. How much of a threat was he to me?

There was no denying that he was beautiful. He was boyish at first glance. He smiled a lot, unlike his master. His eyes were amber and his hair that silverish shade that both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha also shared, it was cut a lot shorter than both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha wore it. He bore the markings of the crescent moon. He wore clothes similar to Sesshomaru, all reds and whites. He carried a sword, demon sword by the feel of it. Although he seemed playful, flirty even there was an underlying hardness in his eyes that reminded me to keep my guard up. This was no push-over. I had my suspicions about his identity.

'Who are you' I felt the need to ask, again. Trying to see if he would confirm those suspicions.

His smile, if possible, widened even more.

'Saiki of the West, Lady Miko' he repeated himself rather mockingly.

I sighed in frustration. _It seems not. _

'I meant, who _are _you' I bit out.

He laughed out loud this time.

'Demanding little thing aren't you, little Lady Miko. Telling you would be no fun, don't you think. Figure it out yourself' He smirked at me. I made a face at him but stayed silent. I was way too tired and injured still to get angry at him. Instead I asked him something else that bothered me.

'Where are we?'

Saiki seemed to try to look into my soul, the way he was staring at me. His eyes seemed to ask, were did _you _come from?

'Well my Lady, let me welcome you in Aokigahara, the demon forest'

Well I knew _that._ This particular place however was unknown to me.

'Are we in the western lands?' I tried. He stayed silent, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He thought this was a game, did he? I growled in frustration.

Saiki jumped up at the sound and crouched down beside me to stare at me, up-close. He seemed curious, his head cocked to the side.

'Are you angry with me?' He asked on an almost shy tone, that I found rather unnerving. He looked very much like my Inuyasha at that moment. Yes, Saiki was very much channelling a kicked puppy.

'Are you a dog demon?' I had to ask him. Saiki seemed taken back. At once he had his guard up.

'Why would you ask that?' he asked suspiciously. Gone was his playful demeanour.

'You seem like the type.'

He chuckled humourlessly.

'I do, don't I?' He whispered, more to himself than to me, but my hearing was keen.

Suddenly he jumped up and ruffled his hands through my hair, claiming that he had enough of the seriousness. He swung his arm around me and asked:

'Do you want to play a game, Little Lady Miko?'

I wish people would stop calling me little, I'm not that small!

I looked up to him -_he is just ridiculously tall, okay! - _warily.

'What kind of game?'

He looked deep in thought.

'Twenty questions?' I suggested. Saiki looked interested, but confused. Oh, the usefulness of teenage sleepovers!

'How do you play it?' his eyes twinkled.

'You ask each other twenty questions' I deadpanned, giving him my best 'duh' face.

'About what?'

'Anything you want, it's a game to get to know someone.' _Or to collect blackmail material _I added to myself.

His smile should have warned me, but I was foolish.

'I will start' he told me, I nodded. _First mistake._

'What is your name?' _Normal enough._

'Kagome Higurashi' He blinked at me in surprise.

'_Kagome kagome, the bird in the cage,  
when, when will you come out?  
In the evening of the dawn,  
the crane and turtle slipped.  
Who stands right behind you now?_'

He started singing that horrid song in that melodious voice of his, his eyes were filled with good humour. An unexpected chill ran down my spine.

'I hate that song' I told him rather coldly.

For a moment I thought I saw something flash in his eyes, a foreign emotion. Then it was gone and he just nodded at me.

'I imagine you would' He muttered softly.

I smiled reassuringly, thinking he felt sorry for me.

'It's okay'

Just as suddenly he snapped out of his mood and grinned at me.

'Question nr. 2! What is your favourite season?'

'Spring' I told him. He nodded.

'Favourite food?'

'Salmon' I said, I noticed I was sweating. I shivered for a moment.

He went on for a while asking all sorts of miscellaneous things (why would he want to know my favourite kind of bug?). I was just growing calm and comfortable again when his line of questioning changed.

'Weapon of choice?' _Ah, yes he would ask something like that._

'Bow and Arrow' he is eyes widened for a moment and his eyebrow shot up, but he didn't comment.

'Where lie your loyalties?' _Are you an enemy of the West, he meant._

'With those who deserve them'. Was the only answer I could give, because honestly, were _did _they lie? With Inuyasha? The forest was buzzing, I could not concentrate.

'How did you get poisoned?' he then asked, his eyes held a hard look.

'I was attacked by a snake demon, Yukiko'

Saiki said something else, but the noises around me were too loud. Why was everything so hazy? Why did the ground move?

'Little Miko?'

Saiki.

I was asking the Miko questions, she was still weak, although she didn't show it. I decided that I liked this human. She had fire in her eyes, she was tough. She said she fought with bow and arrow, I don't know why that surprised me, her kind often fought with them. She told me she was only loyal to those who deserved it, yet she had a faraway look in her eyes when she said it. Who did she think of? I wanted to ask, but that would be rude. Instead I asked her something else that bothered me, how did she get poisoned? I had my suspicions, but I wondered why she was so special.

'I was attacked by a snake demon, Yukiko' I asked her why, she didn't answer. Instead she got a glazed look in her eyes before she fell to the floor and gripped her head with her hands. Her body started shaking and she let out a pitiful whimper. The poison was attacking her again. How was that possible?

I tried to read her _Ki; _it was all over the place, out of control. She tried to keep my Youki away from her, but she couldn't, somehow her purification had no effect on me. My aura started working on slowing the poison once again, only this time she was trying to fight it. Her _Ki _was chaotic. I tried to find the unbalance in her _Ki _and that is when I felt it, a foreign presence tried to get to her. The smell was unmistakable, I knew him. I gathered my strength, this was a test to see who was stronger. That would be me. With all my power I managed to get the dark out of the Miko's aura. The other demon tried to connect again, but this time I felt how the Miko rejected him. There was a burst of energy from her. She let out a high pinched cry that hurt my ears. Then everything was over. The attacker had backed off.

It's strange that when you are fighting with mental power time seems to flow differently. I knew the attack had only lasted for a few minutes, but I still felt that drained tiredness that always came with psychological warfare. Something was not right, I knew that. I needed to find my centre and view the situation logically. When I slipped into meditation I knew what was amiss, the Miko had not opened her eyes.

I touched her hesitatingly. She was breathing, but she didn't wake up. She wasn't sleeping, or even unconscious. Her spiritual power was all but gone, she had gone into a coma. My healing power was useless now. I picked her up and started walking.

_I could not help her, but I knew someone who could_.

'Hello, Lady Suzume'

'You _dare _set foot on my land, Dog demon!'

**A/N: **

Isn't Saiki just adorable? I swear I love him. Any guesses on who he is yet? I wonder if I made it to obvious…

Oh, plot development, you got to love it! Who is this Suzume? I'm willing to bet that you'll never guess! If you do, I'll give you a price, how about a guest appearance in the story? Or a one-shot? You can chose.

I was a little uncertain where to go with this story for a while, but I have it thought out in my head now for the most part.

Do I have to tell you guys again about me being a review-prostitute? Seriously, I can totally picture myself holding a sign saying:

**Will write for reviews!**

Or something. So please leave me a review, telling me whatever you want (favourite food, quest in life etc.).


	7. C7: The Wicked Witch that Hates the West

**A/N:**Aw**,** Thanks for all the review guys. I appreciate it.

**Disclaimer: **

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue._

_I do not own Inuyasha,_

_But neither do you!_

**Now without further ado, on with the story!**

* * *

_I __could __not __help __her, __but __I __knew __someone __who __could_.

'Hello, Lady Suzume'

'You _dare_set foot on my land, Dog demon!'

Saiki

* * *

She may not look it, but she's actually happy to see me, trust me.

She didn't look all that dangerous, dearest Lady Suzume, but looks can be deceiving. She was old, ancient yet she didn't look a day over thirty, a petite little thing, only her eyes –wise beyond anything I have ever seen before- betrayed her age. She is _the_most powerful witch around, and she know it. I knew from experience that you shouldn't make her angry. Sadly, Dog demons _always_made her angry. Especially dog demons who came by unannounced. _Not __that __I __could __blame __her __for __it._

The Miko, _Kagome __Higurashi,_shivered weakly in my arms, she didn't have much time. I adjusted my grip on her, she was cold. I saw Suzumes' eyes zone in on her, yet she didn't comment.

'Don't be like that Lady witch, I'm sorry for dropping in unannounced but-'

'Sorry, your _sorry_? Sorry isn't going to cut it Dog Demon! I was very clear in saying that I never wanted to see _any_of your kind ever again!'

'I know that but-'

'Leave, Saiki' Her voice was softer now.

'I can't do that Lady Suzume, I _need_ your help'

'I'm done helping your kind, or anyone for that matter'

'Just listen for a minute, I-'

'No, I'm done'

_I hate to go there but…_

'The West will not be pleased if you refuse to help me, Lady witch'

'How dare you threaten me, Dog Demon!' She spat 'Dog demon' like it was the foulest of curses.

'You have to help me, she doesn't have much longer' I hated how pleading my voice sounded.

'Did you become attached to you food, Saiki, surely your father taught you better than that' she drawled.

'She's my responsibility'

'Exactly, _yours_, Saiki-'

Whatever she else she said I'll never know 'cause the miko bend over and let out a bloodcurdling scream. _Damn__it!_the dam broke so to speak, all her spiritual power was released. She was writhing in agony. Her powers twirled around me like a tornado. At this rate she would die.

* * *

Suzume

Saiki's miko is out of control, she will kill him and herself if nothing is done. I felt a smile playing on my lips, how will he get out of this one I wonder? I inconspicuously released some of my own magic to read her power signature. She certainly is powerful, way more powerful than her age should allow, but there is chaos in her aura. I can't read her very well. She is in great pain, that much is clear. Her illness is affecting her magical core, her magic isn't much like that of a miko anymore, it feels darker, l like mine. A high scream from the miko brought me back to the present, I watched the scene unfold. The miko was still screaming and releasing power. It shouldn't be much longer until even Saiki's defence breaks. Maybe I should interfere. My magic is flaring up, it's uneasy. I focused on what was amiss. The air was heavy with_Ki_. Saiki seems to try to calm her, but she is to far gone. His Youki blends with her magic, instead of fighting it. It must be his healer blood that makes that possible, yet his power is too comfortable with the miko, that's not natural. Why isn't she killing him? this much celestial power, even as tainted as hers should easily kill him, but it doesn't.

Why? The miko is crying now, softly and her magic is trying to force Saiki to heal her. He can't though. What is this kinship between them? She seems at ease in his arms and her kind never is. I mumbled a spell under my breath. The blurriness of her aura was lifted. The results were interesting to say the least, I have never seen a bond quite like it… and what is that? _Ah,__of __course, __a __sacred __jewel __priestess._

* * *

Saiki 

She is trying to make me heal her, but I can't, why can't I heal her? She is silent now, unmoving, almost like she's dead. That scares me so much more than her wailing in pain.

I was so focused on Kagome Higurashi that I didn't notice dear Lady Suzume approaching me. I startled when she grabbed my shoulder and I growled to her defensively.

'Oh quit your pathetic growling Saiki, follow me.'

_What?_

* * *

Third person pov

The witch ushered the demon and the priestess inside her cabin. She dragged Saiki to a corner where a futon was laid out and made him put Kagome down. Saiki looked bewildered but wisely stayed silent. The witch started chanting in an ancient tongue that the Dog-Demon had never heard before. With wild hand movements she summoned numerous bottles with strange substances to her. Saiki had to duck down a few times to avoid getting hit. The dark power in the air was tangible. The witch had never stopped chanting and at the same time she started throwing seemingly random bottles in a caldron. The stench was horrible. Saiki was growing worried that whatever she was making would not be a medicine but more like some kind of poison. He never dared to say something though. The witch muttered to herself as she worked. Kagome, who had been silent until that moment began trashing around and wailing again.

'Do something!' Saiki shouted rather hysterically. The dark witch didn't even spare him a glance as she lit an ominously green fire. The unidentified substance that Suzume was making started boiling impossibly fast. The smell got even more unbearable for our poor Dog-demons' nose, he had to cover it with his hands. The concoction started giving of orange smoke. Suzume made swiping hand movements above the caldron and sang something in a harsh language. Saiki was reminded why the witch before him was the most notorious witch in the land. His instincts told him to get far away from the woman, that she was to strong. He pressed himself to the wall on the opposite side of the room. The witch ended her singing with a high note, and then unblinkingly cut her wrist and added her blood to the concoction.

The witch calmly wiped of her hands with a towel and turned her back to the potion, something Saiki thought was a rather brave (read: stupid) move. 'it needs to calm down for about fifteen minutes now' the witch stated primly.

Her sharp eyes rested on Saiki, she narrowed them suspiciously. She slowly walked towards Saiki and when they were almost chest to chest she whispered coldly 'What exactly is your relationship with the sacred jewel priestess, Saiki?'.

'the _what_?'

´Don't play dumb with me, you've got to know who she is!´

'What are you talking about?'

The witch sighed in annoyance and glared at Saiki. 'Let me spell it out for you' she growled. 'That priestess you just saved? That's the sacred jewel keeper! You know, as in the only miko with any noteworthy power what so ever?'

Saiki showed himself from his best side and stared at her, looking confused.

'She's that strong, really?'

Suzume rolled her eyes, 'Oh please, she's nothing compared to me of course, but she is rather strong, for _that_kind' she drawled. 'And you, dog-demon' she continued 'are now bound to her'.

Saiki's eyes grew impossibly large 'I'm _what?_' he squeaked. His eyes shot to the door, and he was about to make a serious attempt to stand up and run when Lady Suzume's hand grabbed his arm. 'Grow up' she growled softly. Saiki sat back down unwillingly.

'Now before you interrupted me so rudely I was saying: you are bound to her, and she to you. Her magic is in sync with yours.'

'What does that mean, exactly?'

Suzume clicked her tongue in irritation.

'It means that you have made yourself a powerful ally, or a dangerous enemy'

'I see.'

'You and her will be a great team, in battle, or she could prove to be fatal to you, you need to keep her with you, Saiki. To keep an eye on her, she must not turn on you. She can heal you, she made her Ki compatible with yours in an attempt to save herself. This means that you two can work together without poisoning each other. This also means you can't easily hurt her. Can your pathetic brain see the graveness of the situation, dog-demon?'

'Yes, but-' the rest of what he said was ignored by the witch as she stood up, filled a cup with her curious potion and walked up to the softly crying Kagome and dragged her to a half-sitting position. She force-feeds her the potion until Saiki is ready to step in because she's choking her half to death and then places the miko back on the ground. Saiki noted that Kagome's aura had stabilised itself already.

'This will get the remaining poison out of her system, and place her in a healing sleep for a few days, until she is out of danger' the witch stated.

Saiki picked up the girl, knowing that Lady Suzume wouldn't care for their company for much longer.

'thank you' he said to her with earnest.

'Keep her in sight, Saiki. You don't want to make that one an other enemy of the West'

Saiki nodded at her and walked out of the cabin.

He turned for one more time and smiled at the witch saying,

'It was nice seeing you, Grandmother'

To which the witch rewards him with a 'get the hell of my property' and a very small smile.

* * *

**A/N:**well that's it for today people! I hope you enjoyed reading that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I'm sorry, the contest is closed. As I predicted NO-ONE ever saw Suzume's real identity coming, can't say I'm surprised ;D. Sigh, I like Suzume just as much as Saiki, that is probably because of some things that I have seen happening in the future of AI.

You should all understand that this is a AU story, and you will find that Naraku has awfully little to do with it.

Oh, on another note: this is a Kagome/Sesshomaru fanfiction, not a Kagome/OC one, just in case you were wondering. I just like inventing characters and I needed some (a lot actually) that don't exist in Canon.

As always, watch your step on the way out and leave a **review**, comment, quote, love-letter, recipe, poem, life-story, song, death-threat or anything else you might want to share in the review-book.


	8. Chapter 8: Tyger Tyger, Burning Bright

**Disclaimer: **

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue._

_I do not own Inuyasha,_

_But neither do you!_

**A/N: Well then, here is the next chapter, do you know those chapters that just really resist being written? This was that kind of chapter…**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Three days had gone by since Saiki had left darling Lady Suzume. There hadn't been any changes in Kagome's state. She had only woken up a couple of times but never more than an hour at the time. Saiki had started to realise that there was but one thing he could do. He didn't want to, not at all, but slowly he had come to realise it was high time to go home. He told Kagome this when she came to for a moment. Those moments were few and far in between.

'We need to get to my home, you aren't getting better nearly fast enough, and it will get worse if you don't get proper care' he told her. Her next question had caught him by surprise, though it really shouldn't have.

'Where is your home, exactly?' she had this look in her eyes that made him think she was testing him, though what for he couldn't say.

'The Western Castle of course' he had told her. And she had nodded, silently. She then had slipped back to sleep again. Strange human… he had his suspicions about her, she obviously knew more than she let on. He would find out of course, but now was not the time. Right now he needed to get their little makeshift camp packed up. It was time to head out. If he was lucky he would reach the Western Castle in just a few days. In no-time at all he had everything packed up and reached out to take the little miko in his arms. She surprised him by leaning in to his embrace. She felt soft in his arms and she was so very breakable. Kagome shifted slightly and he was shaken out of his musings. They really needed to move.

Saiki refrained from changing into his demon. He knew that although it would be much quicker, he would not be able to make sure his charge was alright that way. He started running. He immediately felt the calmness that he always felt when he was able to just let himself run overtake him. He wasn't Saiki anymore in that moment, he was just the animal.

* * *

Although it seemed like an eternity, it in fact took Saiki a really short time to find his way back home. As he grew nearer to his destination he began to feel wary. _He _would not be pleased. The miko however could not wait so there was no question he had to get back and soon. With that thought he ran the last miles to the Western Castle, never slowing down.

The Western castle was build to impress and intimidate. Even by demon standards it was huge. It was also surrounded by thick walls no-one could ever hope to break through. Saiki knew that inside the walls laid a beautiful garden. From the point however you could only see the threatening towers that the castle had. Along the wall guards were posted who stayed there day and night. Mostly lower-class soldiers although one general always had to be present. No, Lord Sesshomaru did not take his security lightly, and with reason.

Saiki got a great amount of strange looks his way when he calmly approached the gate, with the priestess in his arms. Nobody spoke out loud of course but Saiki knew that they were judging him. And he felt that he could not blame them. He entered the gate, and got a moment to admire the great beauty of his home. The immense elegancy never failed to render him speechless. Even when he had lived here all his life. It was a huge mess of demons running around inside the walls, all of them with a clear destination in mind and a mindset to get their shores done in the most efficient way possible. It was clear that the Western Lord was expecting some important guests.

His admiring was cut short however by the arrival of the Lord of the Castle. All the demons around him crouched into low bows, offering their necks to show they were lower than the being before them. All except for Saiki who only made a slight bow, not more than a nod of his head really, after which he calmly looked the High Demon in the eyes.

Lord Sesshomaru of the West was an intimidating man if nothing else. The cold golden eyes of his Lord trained on him for a long time before he spoke in that tone of his the Saiki always imagined was just for him, judging, disappointed, strict to a fault. His lips curled in a sort of sneer.

'Come with me' Sesshomaru ordered. And he briskly turned and walked back into the castle, Saiki knew better than to question him. They went into Sesshomaru´s study, the one he used for military conventions and the like. The _official_ study. After watching the human in Saiki's arms with something alike to disdain Sesshomaru called for a servant. In walked a woman -Saiki guessed she was probably of Tiger Demon blood- She held her head respectfully bowed as she kneeled in front of her Lord. Sesshomaru gestured to the miko and told the servant that she should take her elsewhere. He didn't specify where. Seeing the confused look in the servants eyes Saiki then told her to take Kagome to a guestroom. Sesshomaru seemed faintly irritated but didn't comment.

Sesshomaru and Saiki then sat down apposite from each other and Lord Sesshomaru opened his mouth to say:

'What do you think you are doing with that half-breeds miko, brat' he looked distastefully at the small girl in the servants arms. Saiki blinked.

'Who?' he asked, not understanding in the slightest.

'The priestess of the sacred jewel, _Inuyasha's_ miko' Sesshomaru told him, speaking as if he was a small pup, and perhaps he was in the Taiyokai's eyes.

Saiki tried to curb his surprise, but failed. _Inuyasha… the one that isn't talked about._

'Well? Explain to me why you took this pathetic little human with you, brat'. Sesshomaru ordered.

Saiki explained that he had found her and he told the Lord of the West how he had formed a bond with her after healing her. He left out his visit to the Witch, knowing it would only anger the high demon more. And angry he was for sure. Saiki had had a long time to get to know the little signs the Demon Lord showed when he got really annoyed. The slight twitch in his eyebrow was always a good indicator.

'You mean to tell me that the miko is to stay here?' he all but growled. Saiki nodded. Sesshomaru glared at him for a moment. Then stood up, turned around, growled 'She is your responsibility' and gestured for him to leave.

Saiki did. Knowing he could not win every battle. He walked out of the study and followed the Miko's scent to one of the guestrooms.

Now it was time to wait for Kagome Higurashi to wake up. He did not know that it was going to take two and a half weeks, and how could he have?

* * *

_Two and a Half weeks later._

_Kagome_

Everything hurt. Hell, her _eyelids_ hurt! They hurt so much that she could not even open her eyes for what felt like an eternity! When she found that witch she would kick her ass! As soon as she could move again she would strangle her! Or whatever else you did to kill wicked witches. Throw them in the oven or something? Throw them in the river with a bolder tied to they legs? Burn them? Hmm... That idea had promises…

Kagome was distracted from her murderous thoughts by the sound of someone moving around somewhere near her. She stiffed, a reflex she had gotten from living in the demon invested woods for god-knows how long. She listened carefully for anything that would indicate an attack. But although her senses (that were surprisingly murky) told her that it was a demon that was close to her, she didn't pick up a threat. Kagome had learned the hard way that that didn't mean anything. She tried to move, only to find that her limbs were as heavy as lead, or so it felt. She felt her panic rising when she could not move. She started to trash around, her breathing became irregular. She needed to move. She needed to move _right now! _There was a demon, she was defenceless, come on _move. _She tried to force her body to obey; she tried to call her powers to free her. Only to find that for the first time since she came to the feudal era, _there was nothing there._ Not the ever present reassuring pulse that beaded in time with her heart, she was powerless. All of her common sense went out the window and she started wailing and trembling.

Out of no-where the came hands that held her into place. Demon hands. She tried to shake them of, only to be held tighter. Then one of the hands left her shoulders, only to slap her hard across the face. A faceless voice growled,

'Quit that, you stupid human! Control yourself!'

The slap had brought her out of her hysteria, her eyes snapped open.

There, before her was a woman. A demon by the looks of it. She had to be some kind of feline, for she had cat-like ears. She also had eyes like an angry tigress. Her senses whispered that she was indeed of tiger blood. Now that she had calmed down she finally noticed what she should have noticed from the beginning: her powers where there, just so used up she could not use them. In her heart of hearts she felt the beginning of the flame that normally burned brightly.

Kagome then started to take in her surroundings; she was in a lavishly decorated bedroom. Tapestries of great demon battles hung on the walls, all beautiful and probably priceless.

When she completed her appraisal of the room her eyes were drawn back to the woman standing impatiently in the middle of it. She truly was beautiful, like demons tend to be. Fiery red hair fell in wild curls to her waist, her eyes where golden, and looked angry and maybe a little disgusted.

'Human' she spoke coldly, 'My lord wishes to see you, get dressed' her tone left no room for argument.

Kagome nodded silently and tried to keep herself calm. She stood up from the bad, her eyes never leaving the demon.

Said demon briskly walked to the closet, and took out a red kimono. Kagome let the demon help her get dressed, if only because she was not used to wearing kimono's yet. Much could be said about the tiger demoness, but she was efficient. And it took but a few minutes to get Kagome washed, into her clothes and sit her down on the floor to do her hair in a simple but quite elegant bun. In this time Kagome had gotten tired of the awkward silence between them and tried to politely talk with the other woman…

'My name is Kagome, what is your name?'

'Moriko' she had answered in a cold, rather annoyed tone.

'Are you a tiger demon?' Kagome then asked, trying to ignore the tone of Moriko.

She was unprepared for the snarled

'Mind you own business, Human!' she got back. After that she gave up. Deciding the demon simply did not like her, like demons tend to.

When Moriko finished her hair she gripped Kagome's arm and pulled her up rather non-gently. Kagome then got pulled outside the door, there leaning against the wall like he didn't have a care in the world was Saiki. He had the nerve to smile at her and say

'Lady Miko, good to see you're up, are you alright now?'

Kagome felt her eye twitch. 'You!' she all but growled. 'What did you do to me!' 'Where are we? Why have you brought me here, I need to get back, right now!, bring me back!'.

Saiki looked rather shaken and he stammered. 'T-the Western Castle, I told you we were going there, you were weak and you needed medical attention' As he said this Kagome faintly remembered that he had indeed told her something like that, but for the world of her she could not imagine why she would have agreed to going to the _Western Castle_. If there was any place at all she should_ not_ be it had to be the _Western Castle_! 'cause in the western castle lived the Western Lord. This was bad,_ bad_ news indeed.

'I need to leave now!' she told him, almost pleadingly. She looked around as if the Lord could come walking around the corner at any moment, and with a shock she realised he really _could_.

'I don't know what you told Lord Sesshomaru, but I _really_ shouldn't be here! He'll kill me' and as she said (cried) that her mind unwillingly jumped to the last time she had seen the Taiyokai, oh _God_, he would_ so_ kill her! She started trembling again.

Saiki looked at her strangely. 'Calm down' he told her, and strangely enough her body obeyed and stopped shaking. 'My father didn't seem to mind' _more or less, _stayed unspoken, but heavy in the air.

Kagome nodded, trying to reassure herself, not really succeeding, she had _petted_ the High Demon after all... It was only then that her mind replayed that last sentence. She stiffened and looked at Saiki as if she had never seen him before.

'Did you just say _father?_' she asked calmly. Saiki nodded slowly.

'You mean to tell me you're Sesshomaru´s son?' she asked slowly. And Saiki nodded again.

'I see' Kagome squeaked, and turned to walk away, calmly. Moriko and Saiki followed her, they were silent for the rest of the walk towards the dining (or in this case breakfast) hall. Kagome spend this whole time repeating in her head 'his father, his _father_?' and beating herself up for not seeing it before. She cast a look over Saiki and remembered how she had first mistaken him for Sesshomaru, although that moment felt like a lifetime ago.

'_His FATHER?'_

* * *

**A/N: **And that's that, thanks for reading and a happy new year you guys! Do you have any new year's resolutions? Mine are always the same I'm afraid: Lose some weight, study harder, write more, learn to do something strange (to dance the tango/knit/speak Russian/bake a soufflé etc.).

Tell me in a review what yours are! Oh, and how you liked the chapter too… ;)


	9. Chapter 9: Breakfast Club Blues

**Yes, yes I know, this took an inexcusably long time. But rejoice! A new chapter!**

Chapter 9: Breakfast Club Blues

The dining hall was located in the main part of the Castle, quite a long walk from the guestrooms, especially when you, like Kagome were still feeling rather weak. Along the way Saiki had to catch Kagome more than once because her legs could not carry her. Every time she shrugged of his hands and snarled that she could _damn well _walk on her own. She was prideful enough to need to walk on her own, that and if at all possible she wanted to be able to defend herself when the need arose. She had after all learned the hard way not to trust demons. So she kept up her guard the best she could.

She tensed when she felt Saiki's hand on her shoulder once again, and prepared to snarl at him.

'We're here'

It became apparent that she had completely missed arriving at the dining room.

The doors swung open, in the room every eye fell on the latecomers. Sesshomaru raised his eyes calmly and Kagome couldn't help but shift nervously from one foot to another being confronted with his cold stare. The Lord then dismissed her presence as unimportant and looks at his son.

'Good morning, father'

_Kagome wasn't going to touch that thought with a twelve foot pole._

Saiki gets an acknowledging nod for his efforts. He tries to usher Kagome to her seat, but something in her snaps at last.

'Okay, that's _it_! I'm _so_ through with this! I demand an explanation!' Kagome spit at no-one in particular.

'Keep your mouth shut, human!' snarled the Tiger Demoness Kagome knew all to well. 'show some respect to your betters!'

Saiki shot her a look, _please don't do this_ it read. She huffed. Annoyed as she was, Kagome knew when to not make a scene and let herself be pulled to her place at the table. Saiki took is place to his father's right, ignoring the peeved muttering of the court. _A human in their royal presence! For shame!_ He had to control a smile that threatened to show itself. He did like to cause trouble for those stuck up old Demons!

The food, so Kagome found out, was annoyingly good. She let go of her grievances for a moment to eat her fill. The flavours were subtle and comforting, like breakfast foods are supposed to be. She ate a fluffy omelette that for a woman who ate left over ramen 85% of the time, was the ambrosia of the Gods. Only when she had eaten enough to make her stomach protest, did she wake from her food induced fixation.

She took her time to study the people whom she shared the table with, being mindful not to make eye contact. There were around fifteen people, all High Demons by the looks of things, and Kagome did not question that they were of noble bloodlines. Sango had taught her an easy trick to know how dangerous a demon was. She had suspected it herself before that, but Sango confirmed that the beautiful ones are always the ones to look out for.

Kagome was convinced each and everyone at the table would be a serious opponent, should the occasion call for it. She snuck a peak a the High Demon Lord himself, who was silently overlooking his subjects, and his son, who seemed highly pleased with himself. She never could get over those fine features of theirs. She saw Inuyasha in both of them now that she had time to look. Those were some damn fine genes they had, for a moment she lamented she never had the chance to meet their almost mythical sire, the Inutaicho.

Sesshomaru shot her a glare, and she averted her eyes, fearing he had read her thoughts on her face.

One by one the court began leaving, bowing to their Lord on their way out. Kagome stayed were she was, not knowing what to expect but not very willing to challenge Sesshomaru in his own home.

'Miko' Sesshomaru addressed her, 'you are to stay in the Western Castle from now on'

As if the matter was over and done with, the Lord made to stand and leave.

'_excuse you?_ You do not get to order me around, nor keep me prisoner, Sesshomaru!'

Sesshomaru glared at his son.

'Control your woman, she is your problem to deal with.' He said, and left the room, two of his military advisor following.

'The _nerve, _how dare he dismiss me! Get back here you-'

Saiki cut her of by forcefully pulling her from the room.

'Saiki, let me go, I need to-'

'would you calm down, woman! I will explain things but you need to control yourself, aren't you a miko?! Isn't your kind supposed to be the epitome of serenity?'

Kagome smiled sardonically, 'I never said I was a good miko.'

She tried to calm down, really she did. Something about Sesshomaru just wound her up every time, she really could not help it.

Saiki managed to lead her back to her rooms without setting that explosive temper of a second time. He ignores all etiquette (even though he really should know better) and just promptly follows her into her room. They took a seat on some pillows strewn on the floor. Saiki gathered his thoughts, and took a breath. He then proceeded to explain everything his Grandmother had told him.

He spoke of their bond, at Kagome's raised eye brow he quickly told her that it only meant that they could access some of eachother's powers in times of great need, and that there was nothing romantic about it (_'You're to young for me anyway, dearie, don't worry.' Kagome teased). _He told her that because of this, he could not let her leave the castle, she was still not well and if she were thrown back into danger this could prove to be fatal to the both of them, not knowing their limits and the specifics of the bond.

'I'm sorry' Kagome began 'But I need to see my friends, they don't even know if I'm still alive, and they deserve to know the truth, I owe it to Inuyasha at the very least'

Saiki perked up at the name.

'My father does not like to speak of this half-brother'

_What a surprise, that._

'What is your relationship then?' Saiki had been curious of this for a while.

'Oh, I love him, but only as a sister loves a brother' she smiled 'once I might have felt different, but I knew I would only hurt myself that way'

'How so?'

'I don't think you know this, but Inuyasha was in love with a human miko: Kikyo. Theirs was a tragic love story, and it's not mine to tell, but Kikyo is, for several reasons, my perfect mirror image. I could never get the kind of love from him I need, when he only needs to look at me to be reminded of her.'

Saiki looked a little flustered at her freely admitted feelings, such things were almost unheard of. Even in Demon society. Kagome kept talking, telling him about their adventures.

'So you see, I can't stay, they need me.'

'I'm sorry, but you can't leave, it's not save'

When Kagome seemed to puff up to start screaming at him he continued;

'I will go in your stead!'

Kagome looked unconvinced 'They would never believe you, they'd think you'd try to trap them'

'Write them a letter then! I will deliver it personally. Later we will see about you joining them again, but right now you need to think about you health, or did you think they could use a dead miko?!'

Kagome flinched (and was reminded of Kikyo once more, she did hate it when the bitch seemed to pop up everywhere).

'I do know that… I just feel so helpless! I wish I could do more.'

In the end however she agreed to write the letter, and Saiki left the very next day to deliver it.

_Leaving her very, very alone with a lot of unfriendly demons, and one Demon Lord._

_To my sweet, darling readers,_

_I am very sorry about how long this has taken me. since the last update I have finished high school, moved to a new city, started university, made some new friends, lost some old once, discovered tumblr and AO3 and did a whole lot of other crap._

_I am thinking of rewriting some of the earliest chapters, but I don't really know how busy I'm going to be in the upcoming weeks. We will see._

_For now please leave a review telling me what you thought about my story, how your year has been until know, what you think about elephants and/or contemporary architecture, your favourite place to read good books or really anything else you might want to share._

_Love,_

_TSQ_


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